Bets, we've got a problem. A BIG problem. Betsy read the text from her sister that morning while she ate some sugary cereal she found in the cupboard.
"Hey Ellie, you're supposed to eat the food no inhale it." Bucky commented as he entered the kitchen. "Are you eating my Count Chocula?"
"Maybe." Betsy answered with her mouth half-full. She hadn't thought much about grabbing the cereal. The main rule at the Tower had always been if there was no name it was free reign. "Sorry, I should have asked…" She mumbled before shoving in even more cereal.
"No, ah, it's alright. I just didn't think you liked sugary cereal. You usually go for the Kix." He explained. Betsy had to resist the urge to roll her eyes. Of course, Ellie like plain cereal like Kix. Bucky filled his coffee machine with water and began brewing a fresh pot. The front doorbell rang. "I wonder who that is?" He left the room to answer the door, so Betsy dialed her sister.
"Bets?" Ellie answered on the first ring.
"Who else would be calling you on your phone?" Betsy asked. "What's the big problem?"
"Dad's got a girlfriend." Ellie explained quickly. "Her name's Sharon. He's just told me about her, he wants me to meet her."
"A girlfriend?" Betsy repeated with a scandalous whisper. "My dad?"
"I think we should switch back, Bets. I'm in way over my head here." Ellie confessed.
"Switch back? No!" Betsy disagreed. "I'm not ready to give up Pop yet! It's just not fair!"
"Well what do you want me to do, Betsy?" Her sister questioned. I don't know how much longer I can keep this up. Tony already knows and this place is full of Avengers. They're bound to found me out."
"Just give me a few more days!" Betsy pleaded with her. Bucky returned to the kitchen with Sam, who must have been the source of the doorbell. "I gotta go, I'll call you back later." She ended the call not waiting for Ellie to protest.
"Who were you just talking to?" Bucky asked.
"Friend from camp." Betsy shrugged. "You know Pop, I was thinking I'd really love to go with you to The Shop again today."
"Yeah?" Bucky asked excitedly.
"Never thought I'd seen the day when Eleanor Barnes willingly went to a greasy motorcycle shop." Sam shook his head.
"Well, I was gonna ride my bike to work today. I guess I could take the car though, I know how much you hate the bike…" Bucky started to say.
"I'll drive her in my car." Sam offered. "I'm going to the same place. I was just stopping in to drop off the new plans so you could look them over without everyone else's watchful eyes."
"Yes and I thank you for that." Bucky said accepting the rolled-up schematics. "I can't concentrate with Javi ranting about his artistic vision and Bill going on and on about production numbers. I'd love a half hour head start at looking these over."
"Great, Ellie and I can head over to the shop now and if we get there before you, we can keep the other two at bay for a while, right?" Sam asked her.
"Sounds great Sam." Betsy nodded. "Let me go get my stuff. Betsy was a little sad that she'd miss out on the opportunity to ride on the motorcycle with Bucky. At home Steve and the other Avengers let her do some dangerous activates, but she was never allowed to ride on his motorcycle with him. Here Ellie had the opportunity to ride one whenever she wanted and she actually chose not to. Betsy shook her head as she gathered some things, shoved them in one of Ellie's large purses and joined Bucky and Sam in the kitchen again.
"Did my eyes deceive me or were you, Elizabeth Rogers, just willing having a social phone call?" Steve asked. He's been watching his daughter pace a short length of the front law while talking to someone on the phone.
"Oh yeah." Ellie rolled here eyes. "My friend from camp. She was saying we should get together and hang out sometime." Ellie shrugged. "So where is she?"
"Sharon? She's inside. Are you ready to meet her?" Steve wanted to know.
"Sure." Ellie nodded and followed him inside. Agent Sharon Carter. That's who Steve was dating. Sharon had soft brown eyes and a square jaw. She wore a simple outfit, just jeans and a plain blue T-shirt. She smiled as Ellie and Steve approached. Ellie couldn't help but think she would have liked her if they met under different circumstances.
"Hi, I'm Sharon." She introduced herself. "Your dad tells me you like to be called Betsy, is that true? I can call you something else if that would make you more comfortable."
"Betsy is fine." Ellie shrugged. "It's nice to meet you Sharon."
"That's kind of you to say Betsy. I'm sure it's not easy to meet your Dad's girlfriend for the first time, but I hope you'll give me a chance to show you how much he means to me." Sharon. Ellie couldn't think of anything to say so she simply nodded again. She was definitely in over her head.
"So, How long are you planing on pretending to be Ellie for?" Sam asked Betsy once we was alone in the car with her.
"I? Pff. Good one Sam!" Betsy tried to fake Ellie's girly giggle. "I am Ellie."
"No." Sam shook his head. "I don't think you are. I noticed yesterday there was something off about you. There's no way Ellie would have know about that gas tank. You might have fooled Buck, but not me. So it got me thinking who would look like Ellie, but know about motorcycles? I thought Aliens or a clone maybe. Then I saw you looking at that picture of Steve on your dad's toolbox. So, I'll ask you again Elizabeth. How long are you planning on pretending to be Ellie and where is she?"
"She's in New York with Steve." Betsy sighed. "The dads happened to send us to the same summer camp this year. We were only supposed to switch places for a little bit to see what each other's Dads were like. But I guess that's over now."
"We're going to have to tell Bucky the truth." Sam said. "but I think you deserve one more day with him. We'll tell him at dinner, alright?"
"Really? You're the best Sam!" Betsy smiled.
"You know, I knew your Dad, Steve, I mean." Sam said as he continued driving. "We were friends for a while. I met Bucky through him. When they split up I followed him here because Steve and I thought it wasn't a good idea for him to be alone."
"Ellie told me a similar story." Betsy remembered. "She said that the only things Bucky took with him to the West Coast were you and her."
"Well, I guess that's true." Sam laughed. "We worked hard to build a new life out here, but you know Bucky still thought about you all the time. He and Steve sent each other pictures. Steve would talk about how well you're doing on the track team and Bucky would write back that Ellie's a little social butterfly. I know it doesn't make up for not knowing you, but they tried."
"Why did they break up?" Betsy asked as Sam's car pulled into the parking lot for The Shop.
"I think you'll have to ask them yourselves." Sam commented.
"Betsy, what do you think of this?" Sharon held up a lamp for the young girl to inspect. It had a black fabric shade, but the impressive part was the base which was cast to look like a sleeping dragon. Ellie though the lamp was hideous, but it seemed like the sort of thing the real Betsy would love.
"Let's add it to the cart!" Ellie agreed excitedly. She'd been out shopping with Sharon and Steve for a few hours now and she was glad to have Steve's girlfriend along, even if she was hurting their chances to get the Dads back together. While Sharon had immediately picked on the vibe that Ellie was going for in Betsy's new room, Steve had relentlessly suggested décor that was more Ellie's taste than her sisters. Ellie hoped that if the girls did manage to get the Dads back together, they didn't end up hurting Sharon in the process.
"Are you sure Bets?" Steve frowned as Sharon added the lamp to their cart. "Wouldn't you rather have something like this?" Steve held up a brass lamp cast to look like sunflowers pointed towards the light.
"Steve, it's her room." Sharon pointed out. "Let her decorate it how she wants." Sharon then put an arm around Ellie's shoulders. "Let's have your Dad push the cart while you and I look at sheets. I see some blood red pillows over there that will match the dungeon lair vibe we're going for."
"Ooooh you read my mind!" Ellie followed Sharon with Steve trailing a few feet behind. Steve smiled. He was pleased that his gals were getting along. He enjoyed his afternoon, blissfully unaware of the events unfolding around him.